


As Dawn Breaks

by Aphelyon



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Character Study, Confessions, Early Mornings, Feels, Fluff, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-S1, Sleepy Conversations, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:20:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24869794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aphelyon/pseuds/Aphelyon
Summary: Hugh accidentally calls Paul on Deneva too early, waking him up in the morning and it gives him a whole lot of feelings.------Pre-S1, Early Relationship (?)
Relationships: Hugh Culber/Paul Stamets
Comments: 15
Kudos: 40





	As Dawn Breaks

**Author's Note:**

> Not Beta'd, a quick thing inspired by talk on the USS Spaceboos discord, that I expanded on when cleaning it up. Thank you [ @DanceWithMeForScience](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanceWithMeForScience/profile) for the inspiration.
> 
> Looks like I'm in a really sappy mood lately. 
> 
> Also, one might say that this reflects the _dawn_ of their relationship. hehehehe
> 
> EDIT: **Thank you for[ this beautiful artwork ](https://www.instagram.com/p/CCZND1dDu5K/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link) inspired by this fic, Kiddo. I'm so humbled, it's such an honour, thank you. Please, everyone, go check it out. **

_Several thousand light-years away, dawn breaks.  
_

Shifting through different phases of time is disorientating at, well, the best of times, but the starship does its best to retain regularity for all it’s crew members onboard. For this reason Hugh Culber is adamant in his retention of his routine. While part of it comes through his conditioning as a long serving Starfleet officer, the other is through his self awareness knowing that he would quickly frazzle without maintaining his closely regimented routines. That is to say it’s not as though he does not enjoy spontaneity, _au contraire_ , he revels in it. It’s suffice to say some of the best and most fundamental things that have happened to him were borne out of spontaneity; how he hiked those cliffs on Cabo Rojo on a whim and how that accident - his fall - lead to shaping the rest of his life in how it was crucial in his decision to pursue a medical career. From large moments like that to smaller moments like how he decided to indulge in reading a book at the bar instead of attending the next scheduled conference on his time-table while at the Beyond Biology symposium hosted at the Alpha Centauri Starbase. What resulted from this simple act will go on to have an impression on his life that he will neither ever forget nor could have anticipated in a thousand lifetimes. 

Quite simply, he met a man. A man who was as rude as he was cute. This rude, undeniably cute, surprisingly charming and wholly brilliant man of which several months later, even while separated by thousands of lightyears, here he is, still talking to him.

In so many ways Paul Stamets is the complete opposite of Hugh. He is chaotic yet intensely focused to a fault, couldn’t hold a schedule to save his life, exudes confidence in spades but is free from arrogance, has incredibly poor self preservation skills, has absolutely no filter and social cues that only a targ could rival - and Hugh is absolutely charmed by it all. 

These late night calls have been such a welcome addition to his routine. Sometimes they are mostly listening to what Paul has to say - he is truly vibrant and alive in how he expresses himself and his wit and wealth of knowledge over so many things captivates Hugh - or other times being patiently listened to as Paul listens to him either venting about his day or about one of Hugh’s many passion projects. However, most often the conversations flow back and forth in an engaging and easy way, a way in which Hugh has not experienced in such a long time. He is prickly, for sure, and has a blunt way of approaching things that Hugh honestly finds refreshing, but it’s so apparent that he cares so deeply and fully about the world around them. This balance ensures that while he is deeply kind, he is no push over and keeps Hugh on his toes with his fast quips and salacious lips, Hugh making sure he gives as good as he gets.  
  
To say that he enjoys these late night calls - in whatever iteration they take on that night - is a disservice to the importance they’ve found in his life. He’s found himself actively thinking about how much he is looking forward to them above all else in a day. How quickly he adapted to this new addition to his long set routine and how he doesn’t like to admit it, but the way in which he may or may not rush through his end of day recreation time to ensure that he is prompt for their scheduled time. He also has to give credit to Paul who Hugh is sure that he doesn’t know the definition of the word ‘schedule’, yet is always punctual when it comes to their calls. 

But this time when Hugh initiates the call, dialing in Paul’s personal direct line - which he has come accustomed to, not knowing if he’ll be at home, in his bio-dome or in his lab - he is instantly thrown. He realises that he completely forgot to adjust to the time differentiation between Hugh’s new _,_ current stellar-time to Paul’s local orbital timezone. 

Truly, it is a sight to behold. Here is Paul, in a way he’s never seen him before. The whole screen is dark, and Paul is barely lit. The only light reflecting off him, illuminating him, is that of the holo-screen which Hugh would be displayed on. Behind Paul, Hugh can see that his bedroom window is as wide open as it ever is, even during the brisk Denevan winter, and there are the faintest wisps of light that kiss the horizon as the system's star gently marks its intention to rise that day.  
  
It’s early, so much earlier than Hugh had anticipated. Paul himself barely looks awake and clearly only had mustered enough cognizance to answer the call. He’s laying in a heap of crumpled duvets, shirtless despite the no-doubt cold breeze drifting in from outside and laying face down, his head propped up on a pillow that he has his arm slung around. It’s a far cry from his usual perfectly set hair, and neat, crisp clothing - albeit occasionally smeared in dirt when in his bio-dome - that Hugh is accustomed to. 

“M..mmorning,” He croaks out. Paul’s eyes are fighting to stay open, and his hair is a tousled mess from sleep but he still manages a warm smile when he looks at Hugh.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry Paul I didn't realise..."  
  
Paul makes a gravely sound of protest in response, as bad as Hugh feels for waking him up - stars know whatever time he fell into bed - he knows it’s not directed at him being a disturbance. Still…  
  
"I'll let you sleep, I'm sorry."

Paul cracks his eyes open again, looking directly at him for a few seconds before his eyes drift close again. Another sleepy groan preceded half-mumbled words half-spoken into his pillow and that soft sleepy smile touching his lips again. "No, I want to talk to you, don't go."

"It's early..." Hugh gently insists. 

"Mmmmh...yeah, but you're here." Paul's words getting more slurred again. It's enlightening and endearing to learn that this sharp, prickly man is not so easily woken up. He mumbles something else that Hugh can't make out, but whatever it is makes him smile that soft smile yet again.

"Repeat that for me?"

"I said..." An intake of breath and a small sigh as he adjusts himself on his pillow in front of Hugh, bringing his arm around to embrace it more fully, slightly propping himself up that fraction more, not like it will help abate the drowsiness. "I wish you were."

 _‘Don’t go.’_ Hugh certainly doesn’t want to. He wants to relish every moment of this new experience, these feelings which have been creeping up on him regarding this reckless mess of a man over the past few months and now resonate so perfectly clear to him. It doesn’t frighten him, not once has Paul ever made him feel anything other than comfort and safety. Here he is witnessing this prickly man in a light he now knows is reserved only for him. This openness, this vulnerability is an intimacy he saves for only Hugh. 

_‘I wish you were.’_ Hugh's stomach clenches in all the right ways, his breath catching and suspending as these words fall so perfectly around them. For all the things he expected Paul to say, this oddly hadn't come to mind, nor with the strength of the feelings that hit him, making it known that he wholeheartedly _wants this too_.

"Hugh?" One very curious intensely blue eye is looking back at him over the pillow he rests on, sparkling in the light emitted from the screen, and Hugh realises that this admission of Paul’s had stunned him into silence.

Taking hold of these new revelations, he leans into them and opens himself to them, just like this impossible and drowsy man on the screen in front of him who has lead and opened the way to doing so. He leans so heavily into the realisation that he wants to slip underneath those sheets with him, curl into the warmth of his body, to be encompassed by his embrace and bury his head in those pale locks. His whole heart leans into the prospect of holding his face in his hands, to be allowed this intimacy of being the only one to feel the prickle of Paul’s morning stubble from his habitually perfectly clean shaven face, and kissing him until they both fall back to sleep, rejecting the impending break of dawn.

In light of all of this, Hugh simply breathes again then dims the light in his quarters and takes residence in his own bed, the holo-video drone silently hovering after him. He lays down on his pillow with patient, sleepy eyes following him all the while. They are not expectant, and impose no pressure, but rather are kind and inviting.

"I do too," Too few words to sum up too many things, but perhaps Paul can hear all of that clearer than the morning birds song. He smiles, sighs contentedly and Hugh does the same. If he were holding onto a pillow like Paul, he too would squeeze it that little bit tighter.

As his day comes to a close he begins to drift as he watches Paul’s day slowly begin with the distant Denevan sun inching higher and higher. Although it is false light to him, between this far-away sun in this far-away place and this far-away man, he feels comforted and content and slips into an unintentionally early slumber with nothing more than the breaths on their pillow as further conversation between them.  
  
Sometimes these breaks of routines do indeed yield the most unexpected turns in life. Wherever they may be, Hugh is perfectly content in his resignation of wanting to be held safe in those arms; that is the place he where he really wants to be. 

  
  


// end

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! As always I really love your thoughts and feedback, it's tremendously appreciated.
> 
> You can also come find me over at [tumblr](https://aphelyons.tumblr.com/) or more actively on [twitter](https://twitter.com/Aphelyons) \- where I post drawings of Culmets stuff I do there too.


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